Star Wars: 30 Years Later The Real Story - Chapter 6

Poe Dameron was feeling nauseous and absolutely frustrated. His head felt as if someone had used it as a drum. He had not done anything and yet he felt as if he had run a marathon. The horrible feeling of having your brain being ȧssaulted and played with is something he could not describe nor he wanted to and it was an experience he definitely did not want to repeat.

– “He’s really a monster”- Poe thought remembering Kylo Ren and his totally confident attitude.

He hated to admit it, but Kylo Ren was simply an absolute demon whom he had no chance to face at all. No matter how tough you were or how much experience in battle you had or how much training you had received, Kylo Ren could just ignore all of that and extract the information he wanted from you as easily as breaking an egg. There was no way to defend or block his strange powers.

– “I suppose he will just forget about me and let me be.”- he thought trying to cheer himself up

But he knew this was just hopeful thinking and he knew that Kylo Ren would do it again. After all, Poe had a lot of vital information about the Resistance and he knew the First Order would extract until the last drop of information that could be used against them.

– “I’ve compromised the Resistance”- he said trying to think in a plan to escape. He had to go or if needed…

He saw the stormtrooper next to him who looked like a statue and was watching him. He had tried to talk to him many times, but the guy just ignored him and refused to answer.

-“Seriously… I had to have the rare dutiful guard watching me…”- he thought trying to calm down and think codly and taking a decision decisively- “if things were really bad and I see no other choice… I’ll just bite his tongue off and end everything.”

– “Ren wants the prisoner”- he said and Poe clemched his teeth. He did not expect it to be this fast.

The guard that was watching over him looked at the newcomer and he did not obey immediately.

– “I haven’t received any command about the prisoner”- said this one and Poe seemed to notice ertain disdain in his voice. He supposed that these two did not get along well.

– “If you prefer to explain to Ren why you didn’t comply with his orders, then I’ll let him know.”- said the new stormtrooper- “I just hope you have a good excuse for him…”

And without saying anymore he just prepared to leave. Poe thought that at least this would gain him some time to prepare better mentally.

– “Wait!”- said his guard and Poe noticed the aprehension in his voice- “What did he tell exactly?”

– “I don’t have time for this”- said the other stormtrooper- “will you give the prisoner or not?”

The voice showed no space for discussion and his guard did not ask anything else and just liberated Poe. Immediately they put handcuffs on him and the stormtrooper who had just come pushed him violently.

– “Advance!”- he said with a serious voice- “and don’t try anything.”

– “In the worst case”- he thought coldly- “he shoots me and Kylo Ren fails in extract any information.”

However, in this moment the stormtrooped pushed him into a corridor that led to a isolated room where they entered. Poe looked at this place and saw the stormtrooper with confusion. Furthermore, he took off his helmet and a person with dark skin and dark brown eyes looked at him. He was very young, Poe did not give him more that 23 and his eyes showed a very pure light that you could never find in a cold blood killer. Poe had seen many warriors and he knew that this boy was a complete newbie and that he had not still taken any life. However, this made him even more confused. He decided to wait until this boy explained his plans whatever they were.

– “Listen carefully”- he said and Poe was surprised by the difference in the voices when one was not using those creepy helmets- “if you do exactly as i said I can take you out of here.”

– “What?- Poe was taken by surprised. He wondered if this was any kind of a sick and sadistic prank before executing him

– “This is a rescue!”- said the boy who looked apprehensive. In his training he had been taught that a person’s eyes would tell you many things and his were telling him that he was sincere- “I’m helping you escape, can you fly a TIE fighter?”

– “You’re with the resistance?”- Poe asked pretending to be hopeful. He wanted to find any clue of this person’s real intentions.

Many spies from the First Order had tried to infiltrate the Resistance using these so called “Rescue situations” and Poe had personally dealt with many previous “good samaritans”, so he would not trust on this dude easily. However, he faked a face of hope and trust in order to lower the other party defenses. Poe wanted to see where this would go.

– “What? No, no, no!”- said 2187 confused and wondering why this person was wasting precious time doing unnecesary questions- “I’m breaking you out… CAN YOU FLY A TIE FIGHTER?”

– “I can fly anything!”- said Poe noticing that this stormtrooper showed such level of honesty and frankness that he thought that if he was a spy, he was one with a master level in acting.

– “In the worst case I can just escape”- he thought while watching this boy who seemed extremely nervous and in a hurry- “and if he shows any sign of betrayal, I’ll just get rid of him.

Poe was not a saint and he had his fair share of bad deeds which he had to carry out in the name of the Resistance and he would not mind do it one more time but secretly he really wished that it was not the case since this boy looked sincere. He needed to make sure of his intentions.

– “Why?- he asked looking directly at his eyes- “why are you helping me?”

There was a short silence and the boy seemed confused at this question. Poe paid extra attention since he knew that his answer would decide if he trusted this person or not. The boy seemed to take a resolution aand looked back at him with decisive eyes.

– “Because it is the right thing to do”- he said and he was really passionate about it.

Poe really believed him and he knew he was being truthful. However, there was something else he was not telling him, he had lived through many things and Poe knew that even good intentioned people needed something to act and after a little mental exercise, he understood everything.

– “You need a pilot- he said and he finally understood why he looked so desperate and nervous. The guy in front of him wanted to defect the First Order and he needed him to do so.

– “I need a pilot”- 2187 accepted and Poe smiled very relieved knowing that he could trust this boy.

If he had just told him that he wanted to be a hero or some other bullshit like that, he would have just used him to escape and then he would have put a hole in his head as soon as he could, but knowing his real intentions, he could relax a little. He prefered honest and direct chaps than hypocrate heroes.

– “You have you pilot…”- Poe said with his typical smile- “we’re gonna do this!”

– “Yeah!”- said 2187 preparing mentally for what he was about to do. He put on his helmet and grabbed Poe as a stormtrooper would do with a prisoner.

They returned to the principal hall and just walked around trying to look like a normal guard transporting a criminal. Nobody cared to notice that they were going in the opposite direction from the prison area.

– “Ok, stay calm, stay calm”- said 2187 trying to look natural in his way of walking.

– “I’m calm”- said Poe who was already prepared to enter combat at any moment.

– “I’m talking to myself”- confessed 2187 and Poe could feel the small trembling in his hand.

Poe looked at this boy and remembered the times when he had been as green as him. His opinion of him was getting better and better. After a quarter an hour, they arrived to the docking area and they could see hte dozens of TIE fighters that were being given maintenance.

– “Not yet!”- said 2187 seeing a group of pilots passing next to them and calculating the best moment to act without being noticed- “Ok now! This way!”

They moved quickly and run to the closest TIE fighter they found. They entered to the cabin without being detected and Poe took off his jacket while 2187 did the same with his helmet.

– “I’ve always wanted to fly one of this things!”- said Poe joking in order to reduce his stress and the one his partner was definitely also feeling- “can you shoot?”

– “Blasters I can!”- said 2187 thinking that it was better to be honest and state his limitaitons clearly.

– “Ok! Same principle!”- said Poe not minding his lack of skills and started to give him a 101 on shooting from a starfighter- “Use’s the toggle on the left to switch between missils, cannons and mag pulse. Use the sight on the right to aim. Triggers to fire.”

He did not stop moving his own hands while he was saying this and he had already personalize the controls to make it easier to fly his first TIE fighter. However, the 2187 seemed a little lost and Poe just let him deal with it. If he could not overcome this, then they would be doomed.

– “This is really complicated”- 2187 said but he had already memorized the information and was already practicing the movements with his fingers in order to switch the weaponry in the moment he needed. It was just another drill. It was just another test. He could do this. He would just trust his training and his instinct.

Immediately after he heard the TIE fighter rotors and turbines roaring with its distinctive agressive buzzing and he felt the thing floating and advancing. However, when 2187 thought that they would easily escape, they were pulled back by something. Poe examined the rear of the TIE fighter and he noticed that the fuel injector was still attached and would not let the ship go.

– “I can fix this!”- said Poe while pushing the ship harder to try to free it from the fuel supplier. However, this caused that many people around noticed them.

– “We have an unsanctioned departure from bay two”- informed an officer in the command center of the dock bay which was very near from the place where Poe and 2187 were now.

– “Alert General Hux. And stop that fighter.”- ordered the captain without wasting any second. It was better to act first and ask later.

Almost immediately the alarm sounded and dozens of stormtroopers arrived to the area and started to shoot at the TIE fighter. Some of them even brought cannons to stop the TIE fighter by making enough damage to it and take it down. 2187 saw this and knew he had to act in order to give Poe time. He activated the weapon system and set the cannons ready to fire and aimed at the attackers. He dobted for a second since this moment would change everything.

– “When I press this trigger…”- he thought while feeling the seriousness of the situation- “after this, There will really not go back…”

He also thought that most probably many of his previous comrades and even team members were down there shooting at him. However, this idea did not affected him much and then he remembered their how they treated him. The only one who had tried to get close and be his friend was “Slip” and he was already gone. All the rest of his “comrades” did not care about him, they were planning to brainwash him and they all had blood on their hands. 2187 knew that even if he showed them mercy now, they would return the favor to him if in the future the situation was reversed. They were just tools with no heart nor conscience. He remembered the faces of the miners and the villagers in Tuanul and how they had shot without the slight doubt or pity. He remembered the faces of the innocent children and how they looked at the sky in horror and this image was the one that vanished the last trace of indecision.

CLICK!

He pushed the trigger and he felt the how the machine discharged the powerful blast directly at the enemies below producing a powerful explosion that sent many stormtroopers flying into the air. 2187 saw many of them being shred and mutilated but for some reason it did not produced any other feeling that satisfaction for getting his mark. He could not save the miners or the villagers, but at least he would avenge them now. After the first shot, all was much easier and he started to shoot to the cannons and other threats causing as much damage as he could. When Poe saw the wanton destruction behind him, the last vestiges of doubt dissapeared from his heart. This boy was serious and he was definitely determined to never come back here.

– “I must take care of the officers”- thought 2187 remembering the tactics he had learnt ironically in this same organization and changed the weapon to missiles- “Destroy the command center as soon as possible in order to disrupt the communications and gain advantage.”

– “Fourteen failed. Eighteen…”- said the officer before being blasted away by the 2187’s missile.

– “I got it”- said Poe and the TIE fighter liberated itself and used the propulsion to fly off the ship into the space and were received by the defensive cannons under the star destroyer- “Woah! This thing really moves. We gotta take out as many of these cannons as we can…or we’re not gonna get very far.”

– “All right.”- said 2187 who was already in battle mode

– “I’m gonna get us in position. Just stay sharp!- said Poe while maneuvering the fast vehicle and getting closer to the cannon.

Poe could totally feel the difference between this TIE fighter and his X-wing starfighter but he still managed to control it in a way that many seasoned pilots of the First Order would get green of envy and frustration seeing this rookie doing better than them.

– “Up ahead! Up ahead! You see it? I got us dead center. It’s a clean shot.”- said Poe praying that this boy could aim correctly and not waste his efforts.

– “Okay, got it”- said 2187 calming his breath and focusing- “just another drill!”

He changed the weapons to Mag pulses and shot directly to the cannons one after the other and they blew up in explosions.

– “Yeah!”- shouted 2187 in cheer due to the nervousness- “did you see that? did you see that?”

– I saw it!- said Poe enjoying the happiness of this rookie who was so happy for just two good shots but he understood him and this gave him the breather he needed to plan the next step. He evaded the other cannon shot using the distance the boy had created.

– “Hey, what’s your name?”-asked Poe realizing he hadn’t asked before.

– “FN-2187”- replied the stormtrooper while wondering if it was a good idea to have such idle chat in such moment..

– “F… what?”- asked Poe thinking that he had heard badly.

– “That’s the only name they ever gave me.”- said 2187 feeling weird.

– “Well, I ain’t using it. F-N, huh? Finn. I’m gonna call you Finn. Is that all right?”- said Poe thinking in the first name that crossed his mind.

– “Finn. Yeah. Finn, I like that. I like that.”- replied Finn and he felt a strange emotion when he heard that name, as if something had born inside him. A feeling of ownership and freedom.

Poe was talking but he was not relaxing at all and continued evading the enemy shots. He really liked the speed of these imperial fighters.

– “I’m Poe. Poe Dameron.”- he said and Finn smiled when he finally heard the name of his accomplice.

– “Good to meet you, Poe.”- Finn said feeling a strange connecion with the man.

– “Good to meet you too, Finn.”- said Poe very grateful that he could have escaped.

-…-

– “Sir, they’ve taken out our turbo lasers.”- informed an officer in the command center of the Finalizer Star Destroyer.

– “Use the ventral cannons.”- said Hux knowing very well the speed and maneuverability of the TIE fighters, especially in the hands of a veteran like Dameron.

– “Yes, sir. Bringing them online.”- said the officer activating the program.

Hux noticed Kylo Ren entering the bridge with a quick pace which informed him of his displeasure and he knew he should be very careful with his words.

– “General Hux”- said Kylo Ren without beating around the bushes- “is it the Resistance pilot?”

– “Yes, and he had help…”- said Hux after deciding to tell this piece of information since it could be blamed on him- “from one of our own. We’re checking the registers now… to identify which stormtrooper it was.”

Kylo Ren turned in the direction of the TIE fighter and he focused. Kylo Ren could sense the familiar presence that he had noticed previously and said the number that had been in his mind more than once.

– “The one from the village”- he said remembering the talented cadet who had called his attention and who had refused to comply with his orders in Tuanul- “FN-2187.”

Hux wondered how he could have guessed the exact number and he thought that maybe they had a connection prior to this event and doubted if it was a good idea to attack this stormtrooper.

– “Sir, ventral cannons hot.”- informed the officer to Hux.

– “Fire.”- ordered Hux seeing that Kylo had not given any order to spare 2187.

The cannons which had the form of an “X” activated and turned in the direction of the TIE fighter and locked on them and shot guided missiles that followed the TIE fighter wherever it went. Poe evaded as well as he could but he knew they had to be destroyed by Finn.

– “One’s coming toward you!- Poe informed Finn- “My right. Your left. Do you see it?”

– “Hold on”- said Finn and soon he saw the blue projectiles dashing to them- “I see him!”

He aimed and after a few shots he managed to destroy one of the targets which gave him time to pass to the next part of his plan.

– “Nice shot!”- said Poe and he maneuvered the TIE fighter in the direction of the desert planet.

– “Where are we going?”- asked Finn realizing the course he was taking.

– “We’re going back to Jakku. That’s where.”- said Poe as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

– “No, no! We can’t go back to Jakku! We need to get out of this system!”- said Finn knowing that the First Order would easily find them in Jakku.

Once they landed in the planet, they would be done for. Poe should know this given his experience as a fighter of the Resistance so why was this dude going back?

– “I gotta get my droid before the First Order does.”- Poe explained with the same “it-is-obvious” voice.

– “What, a droid?”- Finn could not believe he had really said that. They were going to return to a mortal trap in order to get his toy back. Was this guy for real?

– “That’s right. He’s a BB unit, orange and white. One of a kind.”- said Poe praying that his little companion had managed to survive and keep the information safe.

– “I don’t care what color he is! No droid can be that important!”- shouted Finn in desperation when he heard his words. Could this man have lost his mind?

Finn thought that maybe the interrogation he had suffered, had broken the mind and now he was crazy. Finn started to think in any way to take the controls… maybe he could manage to fly this thing far enough to escape.

– “This one is, pal!”- ȧssured Poe who seemed to be absolute decided to followe his suicidal plan.

– “We gotta get as far away from the First Order as we can! We go back to Jakku, we die.”- said Finn trying to put some sense into this man who would just end up killing the both of them.

– “That droid has vital information about Luke Skywalker”- said Poe trying to explain but Finn didn’t listen and just sweared.

– “Oh, you gotta be kidding me!”- said Finn thinking about how to convince this guy when he felt the impact of those missiles in the TIE fighter.

The impact was extremely violent and soon after they were falling into the atmosphere of the planet.

-…-

Meanwhile in the Finalizer, Hux was checking Finn’s information and receiving the inform of Captain Phasma who was in charge of the FN Corps and was his direct superior.

– “2187 reported to my division…- she said after retelling the last mission in Tuanul- he was evaluated, and sent to reconditioning.”

– “No prior signs of nonconformity?”- asked Hux who knew that such behaviours could not be spontaneous and without warning.

– “This was his first offense”- said Phasma who had hidden 2187’s first disobedience since it would have brought her problems and tarnished her impeccable record.

– “General! They’ve been hit.”- informed an officer making Hux look away from Finn’s records.

– “Destroyed?”- he asked officer.

– “Disabled. They were headed back to Jakku”- replied the officer- “The fighter is projected to crash in the Goazon badlands.”

Hux could not help praise the skill of the pilot who managed to survive even after being impacted by such a powerful projectile. He wished he could have such person under his command, but he new that it was something he could not have.

– “They were going back for the droid. Send a squad to the wreckage.”- ordered Hux thinking that maybe they would find the droid for them. Since they wanted to guide him to the information, he would not be impolite and reject them.

-…-

Finn woke up feeling terrible. He just remembered ejecting himself from the TIE fighter once they entered the planet’s atmosphere and getting a safe height. After that, he just fainted and once he woke up he was in the sand. He checked himself and he was relieved to confirm that he was fine. He then remembered Poe and looked around until he saw smoke not very far from his position.

– Poe! Poe!- he ran in that direction and saw the crashed fighter where Poe was and tried to get closer in order to help his new friend.

Finn noticed that the ground under the fighter was inestable and recognized quicksands. He realized he gravity of the situation and jumped into the ċȯċkpit trying to get any reaction from inside.

– “Poe! Poe! I got you. Poe!”- he tried to get into the ċȯċkpit to save Poe but he only managed to grab poe’s jacket before the quicksands started to drag the TIE fighter inside. Finn could only jumped back and see in horror how the ship with the pilot of the Resistance dissapeared in the sand.

He felt sad and horrified. Poe had been the first person that he had really respected and the one that had caused a huge impression on him. He not only had helped him escape from the First Order but he had also given him a proper name that marked him as an individual and not only another number at the service of others. He may have been crazy to return to Jakku but that was also a show o this deep commitment to his cause and even if Finn disagreed, deep inside he could only recognize Poe’s loyalty and sense of duty. He sighed and thought that maybe he had already died in the crash since he didnt see any reaction from the ċȯċkpit when he was trying to help. He knew he couldnt stay there. Poe was already gone and he would follow if he stayed here.

BOOM!

Finn almost fall down when the TIE fighter exploded under the sand behind him. If Poe was somehow still alive, that would have definitely finish him off.

– “Rest in peace, my friend”- he said in prayer- “and thank you for helping me.”

After this, he returned to the seat where he had landed and checked the container in the rear. He found a GPS system that was about to run off in energy and used it to see his coordinates.

– “Goazon Badlands coordinates 278,980.00976”-read Finn and then saw that the machine marked the North but some moments later it stopped working due to lack of energy.

He observed the Sun position. According to the data they received for the attack of Tuanul. The nearest village was Niima Post which was some kilometers West from his position but he did not know the exact location so he did not know how much he would have to walk.

– “Ok”- he said while switching the program of his armor into survival mode- “let’s go.”

His armor had some specific vital aid systems. He would receive fresh oxygen and temperature for a time and would decrease the sweat he would have for a time. The First Order could not track him since the tracking systems were in the helmet so he was safe for now, but he knew that they would come as soon as possible so he had to hurry and get out of the planet quickly. He did not want to be hunted by Phasma or Ren. He observed the Sun again and then he went to the West praying that the post was not so far away.